ICE consists of three directorates to accomplish the agency’s mission, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Management and Administration (M&A).

ICE executes its mission through the enforcement of more than 400 federal statutes, and focuses on smart immigration enforcement, preventing terrorism and combating the illegal movement of people and trade. (read more)

Learn more about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including facts about investigations, immigration enforcement and removal operations, and management and administration information. (read more)

To ensure openness and transparency and to better serve those seeking more information about ICE and its operations, the agency centralized processing of all ICE-related Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in a single office.

ICE Newsroom

Father and son sentenced in black-market money laundering scheme

MIAMI - Herman Rafael Solorzano Caguaripano, 58, and his son, Herman Alejandro Solorzano Rincon, 32, both of Doral, Fla., were sentenced to prison for conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds using the Venezuelan Black Market, following an investigation led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard sentenced Herman Rafael Solorzano Caguaripano to 168 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Herman Alejandro Solorzano Rincon was sentenced to 63 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Both pleaded guilty last July to the money laundering conspiracy.

"ICE has taken a leading role to focus our efforts on targeting the individuals and criminal organizations involved in the flow of large quantities of illicit money across the U.S. border," said Anthony V. Mangione, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Miami. "The black-market bolivar exchange is an example of the sophisticated and complex systems used by drug trafficking organizations to launder narcotics proceeds. ICE's financial investigations are designed to target, disrupt and dismantle these payment systems which threaten the financial infrastructure of the United States."

In September 2008, ICE special agents assigned to the HSI Financial Investigations Group in Miami initiated an investigation into financial transactions involving the proceeds of narcotics trafficking. According to the indictment and previously filed complaints, the defendants would receive contracts to pick up narcotics proceeds in Puerto Rico and New York and then smuggle the money to South Florida. Once the currency was picked up in Puerto Rico or New York, it was secured in hotel room safes and in locked bags kept in the hotel room. Members of the conspiracy would then secretly transport the currency, usually in $100,000 increments, via commercial air, to South Florida. The money would be divided into smaller amounts to avoid the possible seizure of all the currency if detected by law enforcement. Once in Miami, the money was either deposited in various bank accounts in the names of nominees or delivered to individuals in South Florida.

The investigation was conducted by ICE HSI in Miami with the assistance of ICE HSI in San Juan and New York, Office of the ICE Attaché Caribbean, the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Broward County Money Laundering Task Force, the Florida City Police Department, City of Indian Creek Police Department, the Doral Police Department, the Broward Sheriff's Office, and the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department Forensic Imaging Bureau.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Gonzalez.

Related Information

Media Inquiries

For media inquiries about ICE activities, operations, or policies, contact the ICE Office of Public Affairs at (202) 732-4242.